Metal corrodes in the presence of water, oxygen or electrolyte ions. It is believed that the corrosion of metal is caused by forming a local cell on a metal surface to promote an electrochemical reaction.
In order to prevent the corrosion of metal, it is generally necessary to form, on the metal surface, a stable very thin film, e.g. a passive film . A method in which a metal substrate is contacted with a chromate ion is typically proposed. The chromate ion has two functions. One is an oxidizer function whereby the chromate ion (CrO.sub.4.sup.2-) is reacted with a metal atom, such as Fe to form stable gamma-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, and the other is a deposition function whereby the chromate ion is reduced to form a chromium oxide, for example Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 which is deposited on a metal surface. According to these two functions, a physical barrier film is formed on the metal surface to develop excellent corrosion preventive properties.
However, the chromium (VI) having high corrosion preventive properties is toxic to the human body and therefore its use is very limited in use by several regulations in Japan. Accordingly, many efforts have been expended to develop a corrosion preventive agent which has little or no toxicity human body. For example, phosphate materials, especially zinc phosphate, silicophosphate, aluminum condensed phosphate and the like have now been studied and some of these materials are commercially available. The phosphate materials, however, have only a deposition function whereby the phosphate materials are reacted with a metal to produce a material protecting the metal substrate, and do have not an oxidizer function. The phosphate materials have low corrosion preventive properties in comparison with the above mentioned chromate ions.